Light gauge metal building construction



July 29, 1958 R. K; M BERTY LIGHT GAUGE METAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTO 5Y5 INVENTOR.

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LIGHT GAUGE METAL BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION Filed July 24. 1952 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROBERT Ir- M58587) E/CHEY, WA rrs, zaasrraw,

Msuzwxvvi FAEEINGTOM A770 NEYS United States Patent O LIGHT GAUGE METAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Robert McBerty, Galion,=hio Application July. 24,.1952, Serial No. 300,663

2 Claims; (Cl.- 189-34) This invention relates generally to building structures of the class commonly known as prefabricated and more particularly tobuilding structures made'up of panels of considerable area.

For some time there has been a great" deal of work directed toward developingbuildingstructures wherein mass production and prefabricated construction could be utilized to reduce the cost of the resulting structure.

In the past it has-been found. necessary toemploy heavy material to provide wallpanels havingthe strength'necessary to satisfy the requirements of building structures and which are lasting and adequately insulated. It: is an important object of this'inventionto provide a panel having a relatively large surface area which is light in weight, easy to assemble, low in cost, and which pro vides adequate strength and serviceable characteristics without additional framing;

These panels are composed of relatively thin sheet metal frames of a size convenient for Wall s, roofs, or partitions surfaced with suitable sheets of organic or" inorganic materials having durable properties. By utilizing thin metal for the frames there is a substantial saving in the cost of themetalas well' as a; saving in the. initial cost of the production equipment; however, most; important is the influence on the design of the. panel" itself. The thin metal angles and channels formed in the various shapes contemplated for the frames have comparatively little strength unless their flanges are prevented'from buckling. In this invention thewall' surface material is securely fastened to the flanges by any suitable means and by virtue of? the'stiffness of the wall surface material the thin sheet metal flanges are materially strengthened so it is another object of this invention to provide building panelswherein thestrength of the sheet metal frame is materially increased duev to the stiffness of the surface sheet.

In a building structure all forces can be resolvedinto three fundamental forces or stresses to which any element of the structure is subjected; Two of these forces are in the plane of the wall or roof elements and'the. third force is perpendicular to the plane of the elements. If the structure is unable to support any one. of these three fundamental forces the entire resulting structure is completely unsatisfactory so it is another object. of,

adjacent. to the metal causing condensation at these points.

It is another object of this invention to provide a building panel which is free from cold spots which might cause undesirable condensation and unnecessary loss of 2,845,150 Patented .Iuly 29, 19 58 ice heat; To providea" panel which satisfies these characlation along the surface nearest to the outside sheet it remains at atemperature closely related to the inside room temperature. The metal framing must pass through thisrelatively wann space so the temperature of" that portion ofthe metal frame in contact with the inner surface-is relatively close to the room temperature so no condensation takes place on the inner wall: surface; It; of course, follows that a thinner metal, frame will conduct lessheat so it' is extremely important'to use metal which isas thin as possible while still meeting the requirements of strength and stiffness.

It is of primary importance that the panels may be assembledinto a complete structure with as much ease as possible while still providing versatility of building design, so: his a' still further object of this invention to providebuilding. panels which may be easily assembled and combined in a variety of ways. While still satisfying the above objects: I

flo, prevent moisture: condensation on the insulating, material a: moisture or vapor barrier is placed along the inner" panel' surface adjacent to the air space. This. structure will'prevent' thefiow of vapor'from the. warm. room into the air space preventing any condensation within the panel itself.

. The relationship between the metal -thickness,. the insulation thickness; and the air space width may all be varied so asto' provide apanel which will meet all the. climatic. conditions" to which, the building structure might beexposedf A preferredmethod of interlockingv adjacent panels is; toiiisert' metal rods through. metal loops disposed along one'panel'edge; projecting through holes properly spaced" to receive them in the adjacent panels. Roof panels arev fastened to the tops of; the wall. panels in the same way by slidingrodsthrough'the' metal loops in the roof panel, afterthey have been projected through holes in the Wall panel; Similarframes with interlocking loops and rods. are'used between the individual roof panels.

W The wall, roof,,and partition panels of this design are i'ntenddto he used without any supporting frame other than that within the panels. The sheet metal members. of the frame consisting in general of channels, angles. or Uj-shaped' membersconstitute the sides/top, and] bottom of the frame and -are securely fastened to. each other. at their" point of contact thereby providing greater: strength; Additional thin metal reinforcing members maybe placed" between the side sheets to increase resistance to, the, stresses to which the panels may be sub.- jected. These internal reinforcing members may also be employed to hold. the insulating material in place within the panel. I

The wallpanels are constructed with their two maiDn.

surfaces. substantially parallel to each other while, the roof. panel may be formed with the outer surface divergmg from theinner surface to provide a slope to assist the sheddingof' Water. Alternatively, a false top surface may be superimposed on a relatively flat roof surface to give; greater'slope; and? to eliminate the flat roof appear-- ance. The particular shapes of the frames and the reinforcingmembers found most satisfactory will be discussed in detail later.

The foregoing and" other objects and advantages will become apparent in view of the following description taken in'conjunctionwith the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is aperspective. view of a panel with portions I cutawayfor clarity for illustration;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one embodiment of the interlocking frame members;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment showing one alternative form of the interlocking frame members;

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views of a portion of a panel showing two embodiments of the thin metal reinforcing members;

Fig. 6 is a vertical view showing a method of attaching a wall panel to a roof panel; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an assembled wall and roof panel showing a preferred eave member for use in conjunction with the panels.

A preferred panel made according to this invention embodies two side sheets of rigid material held in a space relationship by thin metal framing, insulation material positioned adjacent to the outer side sheet and spaced from the inner side sheet providing dead air space between the insulation and the inner side sheet, and a suitable moisture or vapor barrier located adjacent to the inner side sheet to prevent vapor from passing from a room formed by the panels into the panels. When necessary thin metal reinforcing elements may be added to the panel to increase the strength and stiffness and to help secure the insulation material. The interrelationship of these elements may be varied considerably to provide panels for a variety of types of structures.

The inside sheet member 20 and the outside sheet member 21 may be formed of any suitable material which is characterized by rigidity, durability, and light weight. Such materials as plywood, pressboard, or asbestos cement have all been found satisfactory; however, the preferred sheeting material is asbestos cement sheets.

A thin metal frame is secured to the side sheets 20 and 21 along their edges to hold the sheets in a fixed space relationship. In the preferred embodiment these frame elements are formed with interlocking means to provide for the attachment of adjacent panels in the completed building. These thin metal frames which may have a variety of shapes are positioned around the edges of the sheets 20 and 21 and in a preferred embodiment are composed of a male frame member 22 and a female frame member 23 formed so they may be interlocked with the mating frame member of the adjacent panel. It should be understood that in a complete panel the frame elements are positioned along all four edges but for the sake of illustration only the end frame members are disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame elements shown in Fig. 1 wherein the flanges 24 are attached to the side sheets 20 and 21 by any suitable means. By securely fastening the flanges to the side sheets the frame members are substantially strengthened and thereby prevented from buckling under load. The male frame element 22 is formed with a rectangular projection 26 connected to the flanges 24 by the webs 27. Openings 28 are formed along one edge of the rectangular projection 26 to provide for interlocking with the female frame element 23. The female frame element 23 is formed with a rectangular recess having a depth substantially equal to and narrower than the projection 26. Openings 29 are formed in the female frame element 23 with an intermediate relationship to the openings 28. When the male frame element 22 and the female frame element 23 are moved axially together as shown in Fig. 2, loops are formed by the portion of the respective elements which project through the respective openings 28 and 29. A locking bar 31 is then inserted through these loops securing the two frame eleends. This phenomenal strength is due to the fact that the sheets prevent buckling of the frame elements, and the frame elements prevent bending of the sheets with the result that the strength of the resulting panel far exceeds the strength of either of the elements alone. a

By referring to Fig. 2 it can be seen that this method of locking the two frame elements together provides a joint rigid in the plane of the panels and a plane perpendicular thereto. Vertical stresses within the plane of the panels are absorbed by the interlocking loops which prevent any relative vertical motion between adjacent panels. Horizontal compression stresses within the plane of the panels are absorbed by the webs 27 and the end walls 30 of the extensions and recesses which engage corresponding surfaces on adjacent panels preventing any relative horizontal movement therebetween. Any horizontal tension force between adjacent panels is, of course, absorbed by that portion of the webs 27 and the walls 30 which engage the locking bar 31. Forces perpendicular to the plane of the panels are absorbed by the side walls of the male extension and the female recesses.

Forces perpendicular to the plane of the wall have always been most troublesome in the type of construction employed herein but as mentioned above, the forces perpendicular to the plane of the panels are absorbed by a surface contact between side walls of the male and female extension and recesses, so the resulting joint has satisfactory strength to resist these stresses.

A panel fabricated according to this invention is therefore capable of withstanding all forces to which it may be subjected without the need of reinforcing skeleton structure or framing other than that contained within the panel itself.

In another embodiment of the frame elements disclosed in Fig. 3 the male frame element 42 is interlocked with the female frame element 43 so that two sets of loops are formed. In this embodiment, two locking bars 44 are inserted through the respective loops to permanently attach the two frame elements. The structure of this embodiment is quite similar to the one disclosed in Fig. 2 so it is not necessary to give a detailed description of the interlocking means. This embodiment provides a stiffer joint between the adjacent panels and it should be used when the added strength is necessary.

Insulating material 46 is placed adjacent to the outer side sheet 21 and may be secured in place by a variety of methods. If sheet insulation is used flanges 47 may be attached to the frame members to assist in holding the insulating material in place. It is important when making a panel according to this invention that the insulating material be spaced from the inner side sheet 20 to provide an air space 48 adjacent to this side sheet. If loose insulating material is used a suitable thin restraining wall may be provided to hold the insulation in place and prevent it from filling the air space 48.

Since the air space 48 is insulated from the outer side sheet 21 and adjacent to the inner side sheet 20 the air space. tends to assume a temperature closely associated with the temperature of the inner side sheet 20. Again, since the frame elements pass through the air space 48 that portion of the frame element adjacent to the inner side sheet 20 tends to assume a temperature closely associated with the temperature of the air space 48 and consequently of the temperature of the inner side sheet 20. This is very important for if the flange 24 which is in engagement with the inner side sheet 20 were too cold it would cause cold spots on the inner side sheet resulting in condensation. By employing the construction having insulation and an air space through which the metal frame elements pass it is possible to eliminate condensation on the inner side wall which has been troublesome in the past in walls containing metal elements.

A vapor barrier 51 is placed along the surface of the inner. side sheet 20 to prevent the flow of moisture through this sheet into the panel thereby preventing any condensation within the panel itself. Any suitable material may be used for this vapor barrier but aluminum foil or plastic sheeting has been found very satisfactory.

When the size of the panels is such that added rigidity is necessary, reinforcing elements formed of thin metal may be added. Figs. 4 and 5 show two embodiments of these reinforcing elements wherein the flanges 52 are attached to the side sheets by any suitable means. In Fig. 4 the reinforcing element 53 is provided with intermediate flanges 47 which assist in the securing of the insulating material 46 and also serve the second function of providing fins on the reinforcing element which are exposed to the air space 48 thereby assisting in bringing the temperature of that portion of the reinforcing element 53 within the air space 48 into close relationship with the temperature of the air space 48. The exact shape of the reinforcing elements is not critical to this invention so long as the element adds support to the side sheets and has a substantial area within the air space 48. In Fig. 5 an alternative form of reinforcing element is shown wherein the element 55 is formed roughly in the shape of an S. It is important that both the frame elements and the reinforcing elements be made from metal as thin as possible compatible with the load and stresses to be encountered by the completed panel, since a thin element will present more resistance to heat flow through the element itself thereby reducing heat loss in the panel.

Figs. 6 and 7 disclose a method of attaching the roof panels to the wall panels wherein a frame element 61 having projecting loops and openings similar to the female frame element 43 shown in Fig. 3 is attached to the top edge of the Wall panel. A roof panel frame element 62 is attached to the roof panel as disclosed in Fig. 6 providing interlocking engagement with the frame element 61 and, in conjunction with the frame element 61, provides loops through which a locking bar 63 is inserted in the same manner as the locking bar 31 shown in Fig. 2. Similar loops are formed along the surface of engagement between adjacent roof panels and locking bars are provided within these loops to secure the adjacent roof panels. It is desirable to provide an interlocking means between adjacent roof panels which can be assembled by motion perpendicular to the plane of the panels as shown in Fig. 7. The roof panels may include insulating material, air spaces and vapor barriers and may have reinforcing elements if added strength is necessary. An eave member 66 may be provided having a frame element similar to the frame element 62 for locking the eave in place.

It is desirable when assembling a structure incorporating panels of the nature disclosed herein to stagger the joints between adjacent panels to increase the strength of the resulting structure. Since all of the panels employed are interlocked on all edges the resulting roof and wall surfaces effectively become large unitary surfaces and any force on a given surface is distributed over the entire surface thereby creating a structure of satis factory strength. It can be seen that a building may be erected easily and quickly from panels disclosed herein without the need of separate framing and the structure will have sufficient strength to resist any stresses to which it might be subjected.

Windows and doors may be incorporated in the building structure fabricated according to this invention by either forming panels with integral doors or winows or by assembling a building structure wherein appropriate panels are eliminated to provide the necessary openings. Since the interlocking elements described above provide support capable of withstanding all forces to which the joint might be subjected the panels located above the window and door openings have adequate strength even though they do not rest on the foundation of the building.

Having completed a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is not limited by said preferred embodiment but rather is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A building panel comprising spaced inner and outer rectangular sheets of nonmetallic material, a thin metal frame member disposed between said sheets along all four edges of the sheets and forming therewith a box like unit, said frame members being secured to the edges of the sheets maintaining the sheets in spaced parallel relation, a layer of insulation material adjacent to and covering the inner side of said outer sheet between said frame members, said layer of insulation having a thickness less than the space between said sheets to provide an air space between the insulation material and the inner sheet and a vapor barrier sheet covering the inner sheet at that side thereon adjacent the air space.

2. A building panel comprising spaced inner and outer rectangular sheets of nonmetallic material, a thin metal frame member disposed between said sheets along all four edges of the sheets and forming therewith a box.

like unit, said frame member being secured to the edges of the sheets maintaining the sheets in spaced parallel relation, a layer of insulation material adjacent to and covering the inner side of said outer sheet between said frame members, said layer of insulation having a thick ness less than the space between said sheets to provide an air space between the insulation material and the inner sheet, thin sheet metal members reinforcing the interior of said box like unit, said reinforcing members being secured to the inner sides .of both sheets, and a vapor barrier sheet covering the inner sheet at that side thereof adjacent the air space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,130,722 Fletcher Mar. 9, 1915 1,964,795 Frary July 3, 1934 1,967,611 Finck July 24, 1934 2,097,598 Pavlecka Nov. 2, 1937 2,104,550 Bates Jan. 4, 1938 2,116,270 LeGrand May 3, 1938, 2,140,689 Collins Dec. 20, 1938 2,107,418 Keller Feb. 8, 1939 2,164,138 London June 27, 1939 2,181,074 Scott Nov. 21, 1939 2,231,216 Nystrom Feb. 11, 1941 2,256,791 Schroeder Sept. 23, 1941 2,414,628 Battin Jan. 21, 1947 2,495,862 Osborn Jan. 31, 1950 

